An intracranial aneurysm is a major vascular disease in the brain, attributed to local weakening of a blood vessel wall. It manifests in the form of a bulging vessel (called a “saccular aneurysm”) or a dilated vessel (called a “fusiform aneurysm”). FIG. 1 shows three, separate exemplary images of saccular sidewall aneurysms, which make up about ninety percent of all intracranial aneurysms. Intracranial aneurysms frequently occur near areas of high arterial curvature or bifurcations, as these regions usually experience more hemodynamic stress than other arterial areas (this is further described in an article by G. N. Foutrakis, H. Yonas, and R. I. Sclabassi entitled, “Saccular Aneurysm Formation in Curved and Bifurcating Arteries”, American Journal of Neuroradiology, 1999, pg 1309-1317, vol. 20, no. 7). If left untreated, an aneurysm grows in size, thereby further weakening the vessel wall strength and increasing the risk of rupture. Rupture may lead to subarachnoid hemorrhage, neurological deficits, and, in up to 56% of cases, mortality (this is further described in an article by B. Weir entitled, “Unruptured intracranial aneurysms: a review”, Journal of Neurosurgery, 2002, pp. 3-42, vol. 96, no. 1). In order to prevent an aneurysm's growth and reduce the risk of rupture, surgical intervention is typically required to reinforce the vessel wall and/or alter the blood flow pattern (via, for example, the placement of stents, wire coils, and other embolic material or devices), thereby reducing the pressure on vessel regions more prone to rupture.
Once diagnosed, aneurysms are carefully monitored and examined before making a surgical decision. To this end, the geometry of an aneurysm plays a crucial role. More specifically, studies have found a strong correlation between the risk of rupture of intracranial aneurysms and the morphological characteristics of aneurysms, such as volume, surface area, neck length, among others. Accurate quantification of these parameters is critical for appropriate endovascular treatment planning. Physicians and other medical professionals analyze various measurements of geometric primitives evaluated on an aneurysm, which allows them to carry out treatment and/or surgical planning. Currently, the measurements and the planning are done manually, which tend to be time-consuming and subjective. Further, the measurements and the planning activities may not always be organized in a well-coordinated manner. There is a need for a complete system and method that assists physicians, surgeons, and other medical professionals through diagnosis and treatment/surgical planning. Such systems and methods need to provide fast, accurate and reproducible morphological measurements and planning activities, such as, stent simulation and placement.